A goal line is a horizontal line at a target value on a chart, for example 500 visitors per day or a bounce rate of 40%. It shows at a glance whether you are above or below the number you are aiming for.
Info
Goal lines are available on Pro, Scale and Enterprise. On the Free plan, Add goal line in the chart menu shows a lock with Pro, and choosing it opens an upgrade prompt.
Goal lines, goals and annotations do different jobs:
- A goal line marks a target value on a chart.
- A goal in Journeys counts the visits in which something happens, such as a sign-up. See Creating your first goal.
- An annotation marks a moment in time, such as a release. See Chart annotations.
Add a goal line
Open the chart menu
On the Analytics tab, click ... at the right of the main chart's header and choose Add goal line.
Pick the metric
Metric starts on the metric the chart shows. Any of the five chart metrics works.
Enter the target
Type the Target value:
- Visitors, Visits and Page views: a number per interval, for example 500.
- Bounce rate: a percentage between 0 and 100.
- Avg. visit duration: seconds, or minutes and seconds like 1:30.
Choose the interval (counts only)
For Visitors, Visits and Page views, pick the Interval the target refers to: hourly, daily, weekly or monthly. A daily goal of 500 visitors shows on daily charts only. Rates and durations show at every interval.
Label and color
Add an optional Label (up to 60 characters) and pick a Color, then click Save.
In an insight, open Advanced options in the left panel and use Add goal line in the Goal lines section.
Read goal lines
- The line runs across the chart at the target value, with a label that names the target and its interval, for example "500 per week", or your own label with it, such as "Launch · 500 per week".
- The label is a small solid tag. It starts at the left end of the line and moves along it to a spot where it does not cover your data.
- The chart's scale always includes the target, so the line stays visible even when your numbers are far below it.
- A goal line that does not fit the chart is listed under it with Show. See the next section.
- In an insight, goal lines are hidden while Cumulative is on, because running totals do not compare with a target per interval.
When a goal line is not on the chart
A goal line belongs to one metric and, for counts, to one interval. When the chart shows something else, the goal line appears in a list under the chart, Goal lines not on this chart (in an insight, under the legend), with what it needs:
- Needs Visitors in the chart.
- Needs weekly values. For an interval, the row also says when the range changes, for example Switches the range to Last 90 days.
- Hidden while running totals are on.
Show makes all the changes at once: it switches the metric, the interval and, where needed, the range, and turns running totals off. The change is announced for screen readers. The value of a goal line is never converted to another interval: a goal of 500 per week stays 500 per week.
- Lines that need the same change share one row. On the main chart, goal lines for other metrics are summed up in one row.
- In an insight with five series, the row says Remove a series to show it. When the range a line needs is not in your plan, the row says so.
- In an insight, each goal line under Advanced options shows On this chart or what it needs, with Show.
- The hints appear in your team's dashboard, not on public dashboards.
Change or remove a goal line
If you can edit the website, click the goal line's label on the chart to open Edit goal line. Change any field and click Save, or click Remove and confirm with a second click. In an insight, the Goal lines section under Advanced options lists every goal line with options to edit or delete it.
Who sees goal lines
- Goal lines belong to the website. Everyone on your team sees them on the main chart and in every insight of that website that shows the metric.
- Owners, admins and editors can add, change and remove goal lines. Viewers see them; the menu item explains who can add them.
- A website can have up to 10 goal lines.
- Goal lines are not shown on public dashboards.